India's space program will conduct a landing experiment with a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) at the Aeronautical Test Range in Challakere sometime in early March 2024. The test will simulate the landing conditions of a space re-entry vehicle, including high speed, autonomous, and precise landing from a lateral return path. The test will also validate the landing parameters such as the ground relative velocity, the sinking rate of landing gears, and precise body rates, according to a TOI report.

The experiment will be of a scaled-down version of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), a desi version of the space shuttle, and the test could happen in the first half of the coming week. “It could happen any day now. The vehicle has reached Chitradurga and it could happen next week. Last time, we had done a nominal test where the dropping was aligned with the runway and the whole process of landing was in one plane. In the next test, we are going lateral, dropping it away from the runway and the RLV will need to take a detour and come and land on the runway,” Somanath said.

The nominal test Somanath refers to was carried out on April 2, 2023 — the RLV autonomous landing experiment mission or RLV-LEX at Challakere using a scaled-down version of the RLV technology demonstrator (or RLV-TD). The actual vehicle will be 1.6 times larger.

Saying the altitude from which the RLV will be dropped and the speeds will be the same as last year’s test, Somanath said in the future, the RLV would test other conditions like wind, different failure conditions and other factors.

In the next test, the RLV will be carried to an altitude of about 4.5km by an IAF helicopter and released for carrying out an autonomous landing on runway. RLV is essentially a space plane with a low lift-to-drag ratio, requiring an approach at high-glide angles that necessitates a landing at high velocities of 350kmph.

ISRO will be using the Chinook helicopter that will carry the RLV as an underslung load and fly to a height of 4.5km. Once the predetermined parameters are attained, based on the RLV’s mission management computer command, it will be released mid-air.

Release conditions will include multiple parameters covering position, velocity, altitude and body rates, etc. Given that there will be a lateral drift in dropping this time, the RLV’s approach and landing manoeuvres using the integrated navigation, guidance and control system will differ from the April 2023 autonomous landing.

Here are some interesting facts on the forthcoming test of RLV-TD Space Shuttle:

Challakere Facility:

The Challakere facility, located in Karnataka, India, serves as a testing ground for various space-related experiments and research.

It provides a controlled environment for testing and validating technologies related to space exploration, including landing procedures.

Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV):

The landing experiment likely involves reusable launch vehicles (RLVs).

RLVs are designed to return to Earth after launching payloads into space, making them more cost-effective and sustainable.

Importance of Landing Experiments:

Conducting landing experiments is crucial for developing safe and reliable landing procedures for space vehicles.

Successful landings are essential for future space missions, including crewed missions and satellite deployments.